Chapter 1003 Escort Formation
Just as Zhang Shouzheng's gaze was still lingering on the strength displayed by the "Eagle's Nest No. 1" forward base, a loud and familiar laugh, like a stone thrown into a deep pool, suddenly broke the solemnity of the base in the early morning.
"Hahaha--!"
"Director Zhang! I've been looking forward to seeing you here for so long!" The voice came closer with an eagerness that was inconsistent with the atmosphere of the late night.
Zhang Shouzheng and several senior military officers behind him, who were also exhausted and looked tired, looked in the direction of the voice.
Lieutenant General Zou Yuan, Deputy Commander of the Western Theater Command, was striding towards him, his face brimming with something almost...radiant? This was a subtle contrast to the worried and weathered look he remembered from his time in the Northwest.
However, Zhang Shouzheng's gaze only stayed on Zou Yuan for a short while before quickly focusing on the young colonel who was walking side by side with Zou Yuan half a step away.
He had two bars and four stars on his shoulders and was wearing advanced combat gear that was almost identical to the patrolling soldier just now.
His face is resolute, his eyes are calm but sharp, his steps are steady and powerful, his figure is as straight as a javelin, and his whole body exudes a strong and strong military aura.
Even when standing next to Zou Yuan, a deputy theater-level general, his aura was not inferior at all. Instead, he exuded a restrained confidence and strength.
"Wang Wu, Director of the Military Representative Office of the Zhongzhou Theater Command?!" Zhang Shouzheng instantly confirmed in his mind that in the report Zou Yuan submitted to the theater command, the other party was the key person in this contact!
hiss--
Zhang Shouzheng calmly took a deep breath of the cold night air mixed with the scent of aviation fuel, dust and dew.
This breath of cold air was like a powerful sobering agent, instantly penetrating the lungs, forcibly suppressing all fatigue, shock and distracting thoughts, and officially entering the working state!
Soon, a warm and friendly smile bloomed on his face, like a spring breeze:
"Hahaha! Deputy Commander Zou, you make it sound like we're late and kept you waiting!" He responded loudly, his tone warm and sincere, and then his eyes turned accurately and with undisguised respect towards Wang Wu:
"This—Isn't that Director Wang Wu, whom Deputy Commander Zou highlighted in his report? Seeing is believing. He is indeed a young and promising man with a dashing figure!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Wu's back instantly straightened as steel. He raised his right hand neatly and saluted Zhang Shouzheng solemnly!
"Hello, Director Zhang!" Wang Wu's voice was loud and powerful, without any laziness of a senior leader. He sounded like an elite front-line soldier!
"I'm Wang Wu, Director of the Central Plains Theater's Military Representative Office. Following orders from the theater commander, I'm fully responsible for the coordination between the Central Plains Theater and the Western Theater!"
As his saluting arm was lowered neatly, a polite and restrained smile appeared on Wang Wu's face. His eyes calmly met Zhang Shouzheng's deep, scrutinizing gaze, steady as a mountain, neither humble nor arrogant.
"Thank you for your hard work, Comrade Wang Wu!"
"If it weren't for you, I'm afraid that our two brothers, the Central Plains Theater and the Western Theater, wouldn't be able to meet so soon!"
Before he finished speaking, Zhang Shouzheng's body suddenly straightened, his expression solemn, his movements standard and powerful, and he solemnly returned an equally standard military salute to the young colonel in front of him!
Under the airport searchlights in the early morning, this action seemed particularly solemn, even with a sense of ritual that transcended differences in military rank. The air seemed to freeze for a moment.
"Hahaha--!"
Just when the solemn atmosphere reached its climax, the hearty laughter of Zou Yuan, deputy commander of the Western Theater Command, rang out at the right time, like a warm breeze that dispelled the invisible pressure.
He walked forward, patted Zhang Shouzheng's arm affectionately, and winked at Wang Wu:
"Comrade Shouzheng, look at you! You've made the atmosphere so serious! We're all from the same army, and we're all family, so we shouldn't have different opinions!" He spoke in a relaxed tone, with the friendliness of an elder.
"Your formal procedures have made Comrade Wang Wu uncomfortable! In private, let's be more casual, okay?"
He turned to Wang Wu and explained with a smile, "Director Wang, don't mind it! Our Director Zhang is a role model on the political work front. He's very particular about rules and regulations, and he's used to being so rigid! It's an occupational disease, an occupational disease! Hahahaha!"
Zou Yuan's laughter was filled with understanding and a bit of good-natured teasing, which cleverly resolved the sense of distance caused by Zhang Shouzheng's overly serious attitude.
Upon hearing this, Wang Wu immediately put on a modest smile and bowed slightly:
"Director Zhang, you're too kind! Deputy Commander Zou is so polite! This is all my job, my responsibility. It's my honor to facilitate exchanges between the two war zones. I'm truly humbled by the kindness of the two commanders."
His response was flawless. He was neither arrogant nor overly modest. He perfectly inherited Zhang Shouzheng's solemnity and Zou Yuan's smoothing over, and his sense of proportion was just right.
Just as the three of them were exchanging pleasantries, a major from the Spark Commando came over quickly and whispered to Wang Wu:
"Commander, according to the theater notification, the theater air force has just taken off a two-plane formation of J-16s from Longbao Air Force Base. They will perform an escort mission for us and are expected to arrive in 50 minutes!"
As the major officer of the Spark Commando finished speaking, Wang Wu had not yet said anything, but Zou Yuan, deputy commander of the Western Theater Command, and Zhang Shouzheng, director of the Joint Political Department, who were listening nearby, were filled with huge waves in their hearts!
"A pair of J-16 escort formations?"
"If I remember correctly, it's the mysterious fourth-generation aircraft that recently suffocated the entire war zone? Is that its name?"
"Escort? Let the fourth-generation aircraft escort us? ? "
Thinking of this, Zou Yuan's breathing became noticeably heavier, and a fiery light burst out of his eyes, as if he wanted to penetrate the night sky and see the figure of the legendary fighter plane in advance.
Although Zhang Shouzheng remained calm on the surface, unprecedented waves were stirred in the depths of his deep eyes. His fingers subconsciously tightened, and his knuckles turned slightly white.
The two of them looked at each other at the same time, and saw the unconcealable shock and desire in each other's eyes.
'Close encounter... a true fourth-generation fighter!' This thought lingered like a mantra.
They have received countless trainings on how to fight against fourth-generation aircraft and participated in countless desperate tactical simulations: eight for one, even sixteen for one... Thinking about it now still makes people feel suffocated and desperate!
They also fantasized that one day they would be able to witness and even experience this subversive air power in their own camp!
And now, it has actually been realized, and it has been realized in this way!
For this reason, the two of them couldn't help but come up with an even more shocking inference, one that even carried a hint of absurdity and ecstasy:
"In this era where global military power is severely regressing and even collapsing due to the apocalypse... our Zhou State has not only preserved the flame, but... has also taken a giant leap forward?!"
"Those so-called 'backwardness' and 'generation gap' before the apocalypse... were they all illusions? Was it a far-sighted strategy by the top leadership to bide their time? Otherwise...how else can we explain the massive and powerful fourth-generation aircraft fleet that has appeared in the Central Plains theater like a gusher?!"
The dark night of the end of the world seemed to be torn open by this sudden news of the "Guardian" from the sky, revealing a ray of light full of power and hope.
Zou Yuan and Zhang Shouzheng's hearts are beating violently at this moment for the upcoming "Wings of Steel"!
...
